Industry R&D looks at water source analysis

March 2012

MCN has become a regular feature of the Small Technologies Industry Uptake Program (STIUP), having been part of seven successful applications totaling a combined value of approximately $750,000. The Victorian government-funded STIUP initiative assists Victoria’s innovative small technology companies with the cost of access, consultation and R&D services provided by state-of-the-art facilities such as the MCN. The latest entry into STIUP is Aqua Diagnostic; a Melbourne-based water management company. Aqua Diagnostic fabricate chemical oxygen demand sensors, PeCOD® which provide reliable analysis of water sources. Their flagship PeCOD® sensors assess water quality by detecting organic compounds, such as pollutants in surface water.

Aqua Diagnostic is looking to develop and implement an automated sensor production process, capable of producing PeCOD® sensors in commercial volumes at high quality. To do this, they must first identify the critical specifications required during the manufacturing process of the PeCOD® sensors.

By using specialised services and established equipment, MCN will investigate the key characteristics such as crystalinity, particle size, surface area, porosity, thickness and surface chemistry of the PeCOD® sensors. Assessing the characteristics of effective sensors will provide insight into the failure mechanisms and causes of performance reduction of the devices in service. This knowledge will then be integrated into both the optimisation of the manufacturing process and the fundamental understanding of the sensor operation.

This will then inform the implemention of a cost-effective characterisation system for ongoing quality control within the manufacturing process.

MCN has supported companies such as Grey Innovation, Biodetectors Ltd, and Liquitab, by improving on existing designs, providing consultation services for novel ideas, and determining the feasibility of new projects.